Landscape design of a dacha with an area of 6 acres.

Recommendations for improvement

The design of a 6-acre summer cottage, like other works on the improvement of the territory, begins with planning. Decide on the exact dimensions, location of buildings, functional equipment (well, pipes).

Advice! Draw a diagram of the area on paper, keeping to scale – this will make it easier for you to place all the necessary elements of landscape design.

If you need to arrange the territory from scratch, the house is placed first on the landscape plan, then go from larger to smaller: buildings, beds, decorations.

For attempts to make the territory of the dacha plot beautiful with your own hands, do not forget about practical nuances:

• Water supply. Usually placed 50-70 cm underground. Pipes must be connected to the house, bathhouse, toilet, summer kitchen, pond or pool.
• Sewerage. There are many more rules for the location of “waste” pipes: they mainly protect against possible emergency situations. Thus, sewer pipes should be removed from water pipes by 10 m, from the foundation of the house by 5 m, from the fence by 2 m, from garden trees – 3 m.
• Electricity. If your 6-acre plot has it, run cables to all the necessary points in advance. How to plan a plot correctly?

How to plan a plot correctly?

6 acres is not a very large area for a summer cottage, so proper planning and use of every centimeter of space is especially important here.

The photo shows greenery around paved paths

The territory of a plot of 6 acres can be:

• Square. The correct shape is always good. You can place the house symmetrically in the center, and divide the territory on the right and left into 2 main zones: gardening and recreation.
• Rectangular. The elongated space will not allow you to implement a circular layout, so it is more logical to move the house to one side, and stretch the zones over the remaining area of the plot.
• Incorrect. L-shaped, pentagonal, hexagonal small plots are more difficult to design on one side. On the other hand, there are many more zoning options.

Landscape design involves one of 6 layout schemes for a summer cottage:

1. Rectangular. Most often used on regular-shaped plots (rectangle, square). Elements are arranged logically one after another, each zone occupies its place on 6 acres.
2. Diagonal. Paths on 6 acres are laid not parallel to the fence, but diagonally – from corner to corner. Sometimes even a house is built diagonally. An excellent way to expand the space.
3. Curved. Here the paths are not laid by the designer, but are formed by themselves – therefore this arrangement is considered the most natural.
4. Arc-shaped. All the details, including the paths, do not have sharp angles and are conducive to leisurely rest.
5. Radial. All parts are arranged in a circle, the circles are also repeated in the plantings, the outlines of the internal partitions, flower beds, etc.
6. Irregular. Several schemes are used at once: for example, a rectangular one is combined with a curvilinear one.

The photo shows neat beds in the garden area

Competent distribution of zones

Divide your garden plot of 6 acres into functional zones: this will make it easier for you to think through its design. Each dacha plot consists of a different set of elements, but mainly there are:

• House. The main building, intended for rest and sleep.
• Parking. In most cases, people come to their dacha by car, so it is advisable to provide a canopy or garage.
• Bathhouse. Some people do without it.
• Barn. And other outbuildings. Toilet. If there is none inside the house.
• Gazebo. Or another option for a recreation area – for example, a pergola.
• Children’s playground. Swings, sandbox, etc.
• Vegetable garden. Here are the beds, fruit trees and bushes.
• Between all the zones and within them, it is necessary to provide paths and tracks.

If you currently have a bare summer cottage plot of 6 acres, plan it correctly.

The house should not cast a shadow on your garden plot – take into account the position of the sun during the daytime when choosing a place to build.

The photo shows an example of using vertical beds

The garage is located as close as possible to the gate, fence – do not move it into the depths of the plot of 6 acres.

The place for a bathhouse, recreation area, barbecue and other “smoky” buildings is chosen according to the wind rose. Smoke should not go towards the house.

The recreation area is located away from curious neighbors, car smoke, and the hot sun.

The toilet is also located so that the smell does not get into the house, summer kitchen, barbecue area, or the area where children play.

The sunniest part of the small area is left for beds, flower gardens, fruit trees. The main thing is that the trees do not create a shadow over the beds.

The photo shows a version of separating the children’s and dining areas

If there is a depression on the territory where water flows, organize a beautiful pond in it with river vegetation, large stones, garden figures.

Paths are a must connect:

• the gate with the house;
• the house with any buildings;
• a vegetable garden with a barn;
• a barbecue or a summer kitchen with a toilet.

Tips for visually expanding the area

A 6-acre plot is a standard plot that most owners of country estates have. To make your small garden plot look more spacious and not “crush” with its green walls, use the advice of professionals. Landscape design principles will help not only to decorate, but also to visually expand the boundaries.

Color. Everyone has long known that dark makes things smaller, light, on the contrary, makes them larger. But how does this work in a summer house, if the grass is green anyway? It’s very simple! A light (at least from the inside) fence, white or gray stones for arranging paths, white or pastel walls of the house and other buildings: voila, your summer house looks much more spacious. This also applies to plants: light flowering varieties instead of dark ones, shrubs with delicate light green leaves instead of rich emerald ones.

Perspective. Remember the view of the alley going into the distance – it seems that the trees at the end have become very small and seem to have grown together. This creates the effect of an infinitely long road. If you use the principles of perspective on a dacha plot of 6 acres, you can repeat the effect. Choose a point from which you look at your garden most often and get started:

• deliberately make the path narrower towards the end (that is, it will be wider at the point);
• plant large plants in the flowerbeds and garden beds first, then small ones;
• as you move away, reduce the height of vertical objects: trees, street lamps, hedges;
• place large-leaved trees and bushes closer, small-leaved ones further away.

The photo shows the decoration of the landscape with light stones

Reflective surface. If we use mirrors in interior design, then in nature this role is played by water: even a small pond can visually increase your 600 sq. m. Keep in mind that a deep darkened pond has the best reflectivity, while a shallow, well-lit pond has the worst reflectivity.

Horizontal plane. Imagine 2 areas: one with low grass, the other with densely growing century-old spruce trees – which one will look more spacious? Flat surfaces occupying a large area (preferably in the center), such as a lawn, a swimming pool, a paved area will make the summer cottage much brighter.

Crooked paths. We have already mentioned this in the Planning section: winding and diagonal paths, looping around flowerbeds, vegetable beds, functional areas, seem long and endless, unlike straight ones – that is why even 6 hundredths look at least 10.

Verticals. Fortunately, the ceiling in the country house is the sky, so you do not have to worry about the height of the ceilings. This means that you can actively use verticals! For example, vertical flower beds or garden beds help to save space on the ground, using it more rationally.

Ideas for landscaping a personal plot

First of all, divide the plants into 2 categories: garden and vegetable garden. The first includes decorative plantings – flowers, shrubs, trees. The second – fruit plantings – vegetables, berries, root crops.

• A separate area should be allocated for beds so that they do not spread throughout the entire territory and you have the opportunity to decorate your garden plot. Take a closer look at vertical multi-level structures: it is convenient to place strawberries, lettuce, greens, radishes and other small seedlings on them.
• Let’s move on to decorations. By default, make a lawn on all free land: it looks aesthetically pleasing, protects from dust, solves the problem of dirt throughout the territory during rains. In addition, it is pleasant to just lie on the grass and sunbathe on a fine day.
• A beautiful flowerbed or alpine slide will become an accent. The second style is ideal if your dacha is located on a slope or has a noticeable rise in the sunny part (the northern part is not suitable) of the territory. The hill is comfortably ennobled with light stone (sandstone, slate, tuff). Suitable plants include euonymus, cinquefoil, cotoneaster, periwinkle, saxifrage, and sedum.

Choose any flowers you like for the flowerbed.

• On the vertical, mainly low, medium-sized species are planted: petunias, violets, begonias, marigolds.
• In the horizontal, small ones are combined with large ones to add dynamics.
• Tall ones are peonies, dahlias, gladioli, hydrangeas.
• Don’t forget about climbing ones: roses, morning glories, maiden grapes.

The next task: zoning. To fence off one area from another, plant low (50-60 cm) bushes in a row – they divide the territory, but at the same time retain space. Popular types for a hedge are: dogwood, spirea, thuja, boxwood, juniper, barberry, hydrangea. Living fences are also placed along the sides of the main paths to highlight and improve them.

What plot can do without trees? In a small area, you should not plant tall spruce or birch trees – opt for useful fruit trees. Apple, pear, plum, apricot, cherry, hawthorn, rowan, bird cherry and others will bloom beautifully and fragrantly in the spring, and in the fall will delight you with tasty juicy fruits. Trees are planted in a line along the fence or near buildings – for example, to create a comfortable shade near the house or in the lounge corner with a barbecue.